CHAPTER I

♧THE PARENTS♧

Carl Hamilton, is a 44 year old Doctor of Ledesma Hospital. As a doctor, his job to maintain people's health balance and to help those who needs his medical professionalism but in return he barely goes home in so much busyness. He may go home but in very late time in the evening and go to his work very early in the morning.

He's working on a private hospital which is known for people's accolades, praising their alertness and readiness when it comes to their patients and emergencies.

Amy Hamilton, is a 43 year old spouse of Carl. She's a home based teacher about Personal Development.

She chose to work at home for some reasons and one of them is to take care of her children that is so hard to maintain the peacefulness between them

The couple have 4 children as they've been together for about 19 long years now.

Carl's parents have an ancestral house at the end of the country, which heired by him and renovated by his money. Now, Carl and Amy plans to have a long vacation at the quiet province.

"Do you think the kids will like it there?" Amy asked his husband while they're getting ready for bed to sleep.

"Mm... I guess so, what about you? Do you like to spend our whole vacation at my province." Carl asked when he lied on their bed.

Amy closed the book she's reading earlier which is a romance novel-- just like what a usual woman wants to read when they got bored-- and put it inside her drawer of the bed side. She take her eye glasses off and put it above the headboard.

"I'm fine with everything, Carl." She answered with a smile, placing herself right under the thick gray blanket. She rest her head comfortably above the soft white pillows they have.

"Okay." He grunted as he plop his pillow. "Well that's a good news." Carl is chuckling putting the half of his body under cover and closed the lamp on his side and to Amy's.

"Is there an internet connection there? You know, signal?" Amy suddenly asked when she thought of something and she needs to ask that to make her mind calm.

Carl frowned to his wife's question and glance at her. "Why? Are you going to still continue teaching online while we're relaxing? We're going to have a vacation, wife. I'm on leave starting from tomorrow, so we're work free and stress free. We should be." He uttered between his chuckle.

She shook her head. "No, what I mean is Dolora and Baxter. Dolora is so obsessed about her social life and she is so into gadgets. I'm sure she's going to complain if there's no signal there and Baxter is going to have his tantrums again." She sounded so worried about her kids.

"Don't worry about them. I'm sure Dolora will understand and she'll adjust to it and to Baxter..." He sighed and pouts. "We'll try to calm him down and give him something to play to."

"You do know that your son is not a little boy anymore. He's matured now and a teenager." She reminded her husband and press herself deep to the bed.

"Yeah... yeah, I-- I know about that." Carl made himself believable but Amy just laughed at his husband's answer because she really knows him so much.

"Defensive." She commented while laughing but immediately stopped. "He's being distant this past few days. I don't like it, Carl." She said as she adjust herself at the bed, finding her comfortable position which is facing her husband.

She folded her arm under her head while her other arm is at her husband's chest. She remembers how she notice Baxter is being so quiet and not so sweet like what her son is before.

He grunted and scoot his wife close to him. "Don't worry, wife. I'll talk to him when I have some time and I'm sure I'll have one now 'cause it's our free time since tomorrow." He smiled and hug his wife tightly.

"Okay, tell him how much I love him okay?" She told him and his husband nods. "And please, go easy with with him. The last time you two talked was not so good." She reminded him.

"I know, wife. That's why I made this vacation so we can have some more time with ourselves. I should make up to them. I promise you that."

"Okay." She whispered. "Oh! And what about Gally? Do you think he'll like it there?" She asked talking about their 2 years old Siberian Husky.

"I'm sure he'll enjoy the break too." He kissed the temple of his wife. "Nightt, Mrs. Hamilton."

"Ny-nightt, Mr. Hamilton."

■■■

"Good morning everyone! Welcome to Hamilton Family station! And we're about to pack our things, ride with our car and drive until we reach our humble abode at your Daddy's province." Carl acted like a reporter in front of the ladies of his family, clutching his fist just before his mouth like he's holding a microphone.

Dolora just rolled her eyes at her Father and continue tapping and scrolling at the screen of her phone while the two little cuties are laughing because of their Dad's humor.

"Dad! That's so unlike you, it's ugly! I mean you are ugly." The 11 year old Ezra teased her Father while eating her pancake on her fork and giggles.

Carl take the seat beside Ezra and clear his throat. "Ugly? You're Dad is ugly?" He asked with his defeated tone while raising his left brow to the little lady.

Ezra nod her head so he scoffed turning her head to the little ones, the 7 year old little girl, Finley, who's busy playing with her milk. "Am I ugly, baby Fin?" He asked to the youngest.

"No." She uttered with her little innocent angelic voice.

He smirked. "Hear that, Ez? I'm not ugly." He proudly told Ezra while wiggling his brows at her and turn his gaze back to Finley. "You my tall tiny beautiful lady, is your Dad's favorite girl." He chuckled and pinch his daughter's cheek.

"I know that Daddy. Your look is as good as Gollum, Daddy." Finley added that made his Dad give her a deadpan look and a laughing Ezra.

"I'll sue you all in court." He joked and made a horse laugh.

"Eww... Dad, stop doing that! It's ugly!" Dolora gave him a disgusted look before drinking her juice talking about how his Dad laugh so loud.

Carl gave her a stolid look. "And you think you're beautiful young lady?" He asked.

"Uh-huh." She answered with a proud face as she lift her chin up. "That's what I am and I am born this way." She added and rolls her eyes.

"And where do you think you got your pretty face?" He challenged his daughter.

She rolled her eyes. "To Mom of course." She replied as she took another sip of her juice.

He scoffed. "Don't you know that our relatives, neighbors and friends told us that you got my looks." He emphasized the word my before scratching his elbow at the edge of the dining table.

She shook her head and rolls her eyes again to her Dad. "I don't think so, Mr. Hamilton." A couple of little voices of laughter was heard beside him.

He once again gave the girls a deadpan look. "Wife, what do we have for breakfast?" He asked to his wife before drinking water but no one answers him and so he creased his forehead looking around to see his lovely wife.

"Mom's not here, she's packing Baxter's clothes." Dolora answered while scrolling at her phone.

He gaped. "What?" He exclaimed and tried to make himself look funny to make the ladies laugh but Dolora doesn't give a care to his Dad's face.

"She's at Baxter's room, Dad." Dolora repeated.

"Why's your Mom doing that thing? Where's Baxter? And why are you using phone over breakfast? And why are you not eating something? Juice for breakfast? Are you serious? Really, lady?" He asked continuously while motioning his hands in the air in every word he just spilled.

Dolora once again rolled her eyes. "You nag more than Mom does, Dad."

Carl just look at her while still waiting for her answers.

"And to your tons of questions, here are the answers: Mom is doing what Baxter should be doing because Baxter is not around the house. I'm using my phone over breakfast because I need to post my breakfast on I*******m and check who double tapped it and who comments tributes to it and why am I not eating anything but juice because, I'm. On. Diet." As she answered all her Dad's question she exited the kitchen with her juice.

Carl's mouth gaped. "Is your sister always do that every morning?" He asked to the two ladies left with him while still looking at Dolora's back who walked out. "Juice for breakfast and post it on i*******m? Isn't that silly?" He mumbled to himself.

The two little girls nod their head. "Aren't you knew it, Daddy?" Finley asked with her little voice.

He just shook his head. "Finish your breakfast girls, you already pack your things?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"Yesss!!"

"Good, now, finish eating or I'll sell all your toys." He ordered and after he finished eating he marched upstairs to find his wife. "Where's our only son, wife?" He asked leaning at the wall inside Baxter's room as Amy looked at him tiredly.

Amy is sitting on the floor and is about to zip the luggage when he interupts her work.

"Where do you think?" She wiped her the beads of sweats on her forehead and sighed. "You know what? Let me finish this and go find your son." He sighed and obeyed his wife.

"Yes, Ma'am." He uttered acting like a soldier, saluting at her making his wife chuckle before heading outside.

And to his luck, he found his only son at the backyard of their house doing nothing but stare at the wind.

"Hey, buddy." He greeted his son and sat beside him at the hammock. "Why did you let your Mom do what you have to do, huh? What's the problem, boy?"

He heard nothing but silence as he waits for his son's answer.

"Buddy your Mommy is super duper worried about you. She said you're being distant. Do we have a problem, kiddo? You know you can tell Daddy, right?" He convinced him sweetly after messing his son's hair.

Baxter shook his head and stood up. "It's nothing." He muttered and walked out.

"Son, I'm still talking to you. Come back here." He ordered but his son didn't listen to him.

He sighed, this is the problem when you're too busy with your job and you haven't had enough time to be with your kids, you have no idea what's running on their mind nor what's the maze of their manner.

But all in all, he knows why his son is acting like that. It's his fault.

■■■

"All good?" He asked and only 3 voices answered his question, his wife, Ezra and Finley. "Okay, vacation! Here we are." He announced as he started the engine.

"Can't we just have a vacation at some famous beach so we can island hop or maybe out of town or maybe a fine road trip at Las Vegas for the whole week? Those place are more instagramable than... vacation in an old house. Dad, that is certainly no fun. I'm very very very certain of it." Dolora complained and gave her parents an unhappy and disgusted look.

Carl met his wife's eyes who gaves him an I told you so look. He sighed as he accelerate the speed of their family car.

"Dolora, Sweetie, sometimes you need to visit the history. You're too modern, so bare with the oldies, Darling. Just this once, okay?" He gave Dolora a small smile, meeting her gaze at the rear view mirror but what he only saw is his Daughter's eyeroll.

She groaned and stuff the earbuds at both of her ears, turning her favorite music in high volume, closing her eyes to lessen her boredom.

"Daddy, do we have to choose our own room?" Finley asked while clutching her Subway Sam with her little arms.

"Mm... about that? Yes of course, and I already called someone to clean the whole house the other day. The only thing we have to do is to decorate your rooms by yourselves or maybe with some help and there we can enjoy sleeping, resting, relaxing and enjoying." He sing song like he's an opera singer.

Finley clap her hands. "That's great, Daddy!" Gally barked as his head is outside the window, letting his tongue flew with the wind.

"We good?" His wife smiled and as for Ezra, she's sound asleep.

Carl glance at the rear view mirror to see if what his only son doing at the back seat.

"How 'bout you, buddy? You good with that?" He asked Baxter who's sitting silent at the back of the car and seemed to be absorbed at the view outside of the window.

"Bax? Bax baby, Daddy is asking you something." Amy turn her head to face his son.

Baxter sighed. "Yeah." He shortly replied while still looking outside.

"Okay... I think we're good with everything." He muttered and just sighed.

■■■

"After hours of burning our arses inside our car seats, we are finally here." He announced while standing from outside of the house.

The house has two balconies at the front passed the door and the two big windows and at the second floor, over all built out of woods. It was painted in grey and royal blue color. There's a hammock placed at the front yard above all the green bermuda grass and there's a barn at the backyard

Carl and Amy's face wear a wide smile, looking all happy to what they are looking at.

"Can you hear that everyone?" He asked as the kids tried to focus their hearing to anything and they shook their head in unison. "Exactly! That's what you call peace." He made a peace sign while saying it.

"Boooooring..." Dolora muttered but can be heard by everyone.

"It's not boring, Lor. It's for taking out all the stress out of our head. Please understand us, we just want to relax." Amy explain to her first born.

"Oh! Here comes Douglas." The woman smiled so bright and welcome him. "Hey, how's the house and you?"

"All good, madame." He answered and turn to her husband. "Sir, every rooms were all cleaned up. All you have to do is put all your things and design it." He smiled displaying his big teeth on front.

Carl gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks, man. I already wired the payment to your agency." He pat the shoulder of the man named Douglas and the man nod his head.

"Thank you, Sir. Have a great vacation, sir." Douglas bade before walking away with his few men walking with him to a white van with the name of their company.

"So do you, Douglas!" He shouted and turn to his daughters again. "You heard the man, all rooms were cleaned so now go ahead and choose the room you would want to occupy." Amy announced. "Lor, why don't you do the honors and go inside first?" Dolora pouts her lips.

"Fine, and I'll do whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do it and however I want to do it with my own." She replied to her Mother and Amy agreed.

Dolora ran through the door and ready to choose whatever room she would want to choose.

"Hey, Bax baby, why don't you choose your room too?" Amy asked to her only son.

"Okay." He muttered getting his bags of clothes with him and walk towards the house.

"And after that help us carry our luggage!" Carl shouted to him before turning his gaze to his wife. "I told you we can talk to them and make them agree with us, right wife?" Carl put his arm around his wife's shoulder.

A bark made them look at the ground and there they saw their cute 2 years old husky waggling his tail while looking at them.

"Gally! Gally! Come on inside the house!" Their youngest daughter run towards the door calling the name of their dog and Gally obeyed running to her, obviously excited.

"Be careful, Fin! You don't want to have scratches on your knees!" Her mother shouted.

"Got it, Mommy!" The little girl squeaked to her Mother as she pet Gally's head.

"Oh yes, Mommy. Wake our little Ezzy and I'll carry some stuffs inside the house, okay?" Carl asked her and Amy nod, heading inside again the car.

"Hey Ezzy, wakey-wakey, darling." She gently shook her daughter's shoulder and the little girl wiped her eyes while yawning.

"Mommy?" She scratch her eyes with her small hands once again but still the little bunny is sleepy.

"We're here now. Come on, you'll run out of rooms, come!" She excitedly gushed and her daughter raised both of her hands as a sign that she wants her Mommy to carry her.

Amy grab Ezra's stuffs such as her clothes and pouts at her daughter.

"What? You're big now and you're heavy." Amy joked but she immediately carry her sweet daughter as she laughs.

"Hi Daddy." Ezra greeted his Dad who just came out of the house and is going to get another set of boxes from the car.

"Hey Ezzy, good morning to you." He greeted back and kiss the forehead of her daughter.

"It's afternoon, Daddy." She corrected his Dad with her sleepy voice.

"And you're right, Genius." He kissed his daughter's cheek and so as his wife's lips before he head the way towards the car.

Amy and Ezra enter the big house.

The house is not that old to see because it's renovated by them, though it stands for about 8 or 9 decades now.

From the door you'll be welcomed by a spacious living room. A long floral sofa with 4 more single sofa at the side and a small wooden coffee table at the center.

There are paintings hanged at every walls that is painted in greyish white, decorating all of it. Some are cross-stitched scenery of nature and animals.

There's a door behind the sofa and it's another living room but it's empty. A hallway which leads to the diner with division to the kitchen. A hanging cabinet is placed above the sink. All are painted in white and the counter is made out of blue and white marble.

The kitchen has a long table with 8 seats. It is made out of durable woods. Obviously from the trees surrounds the area where the house is located.

Back to the hallway there's a door at the far corner of the living room which leads down to the basement. The basement is cleaned but there's a lot of stuffs-- old stuffs-- are stocked inside it. A small bulb gives a yellowish light for the whole big basement.

"Mom, I'll take this room!" Dolora shouted from upstairs.

Amy marched upstairs carefully. She doesn't want to trip while carrying her daughter.

The stair is located just behind the second living room and there she was once again, she is welcomed by the spacious 2nd floor of the house. There are 4 rooms and Dolora picked the one that is located at the first door on the right side.

"Okay, Honey, help your Dad. Get all our stuffs or maybe just your stuffs because I know you're too lazy to help us more." She ordered to her daughter as she rolls her eyes before obeying to her mother's order.

"'Kay..." She answered and run down stairs.

"And get Finley's bag of clothes please?" She shouted and Dolora just stump her feet loudly.

"Gally! Come on, lie down with me!" Amy heard her Finley said at one of the room and there she found at the right far corner of the floor, it's just beside Dolora's.

She peeked inside and there she saw her youngest daughter lying down at one of the bed inside the room with Gally wagging his tail as he lie down with Ezra.

"Hey little bunny, you like this room?" She asked her daughter as she sat up from lying down.

"Yes, Mommy and it's suit for me and Ezra. One room with two beds and we have lamp each and I want my bedsheet pink and bugs bunny and tazmania is sitting above my head." She gushed gleefully while still hugging Subway Sam with her.

"Okay, we'll change it later." Amy told Finley and her daughter lie down again, petting Gally. "Ezzy, continue sleeping at the bed if you're still sleepy. I'm going to help Daddy downstairs, okay?" Her daughter replied affirmatively. "And before you sleep, please help your li'l sister to change clothes and yours." She added.

"Okay, Mommy." Ezra answered and walk towards her little sister.

"Here's her stuff, Mom and that costs 10 dollars for my effort by bringing these things up here and in this room." Dolora drag the luggage at the floor and cross her arm while looking at her Mom.

Amy laughed. "Oh you poor sweet. I'll pay you later, lady." She replied and hurrying walk downstairs to help her husband.

"But Mom? I want it now because I know that later of yours is going to take forever." Dolora complained but Amy just laughed.

■■■

Dinner time came with all of them sitting in every seats. A roasted chicken, carbonara and sweet ham is on the table and a grape juice on the glass.

"Isn't this fun? We finished decorating each of our room with our own wants in just one day. Later we'll have our beauty rest and then tomorrow we'll start our happy vacation but first let's have our delicious dinner." Amy sweetly uttered with a smile on her lips.

"And where are we going tomorrow?" Dolora asked with bored voice after drinking juice and plays the chicken leg at her plate.

"There's this lake just a kilometer away from here and as far as I can remember, there's a retaurant called Meaty Meal nearby the lake and we're going to enjoy it tomorrow." Carl wiggle his brows to his children. "Think of juicy and tender steaks and baby back ribs." Carl acted like he's imagining what he's thinking. "Juicy and so tender that melts in your mouth." He day dreamed.

Dolora took a mouse bite at the chicken and groan as answer. Baster stayed silent while eating carbonara and ham and the two little girls-- Ezra and Finley -- are happily eating and excited to where they are going for tomorrow.

They are not so perfect family but their parents are trying hard to make them happy even if they can't be but this is their vacation.

Though they don't know what kind of disaster would passed by them and eat all their happiness and turn it into a misery.